Gas lantern

ABSTRACT

A gas lantern is provided with a spring-biased reflector or cover seated on the mantle so as to promote more complete combustion so that the lantern will burn brighter and cleaner.

Lester Gllman United States Patent [72] Inventor Southampton, Pa. 42,416

Appl. No.

June 1,1970 [45] Patented Dec. 14,1971

5/1912 Storrs......

8/1955 Bramming....................

Primary Examiner-- Edward G. Favors Attorney-Seidel, Gonda & Goldhammcr [22] Filed [73] Assignee Progress Division, Walter Kidde 8; Co., Inc.

Belleville, NJ.

cu 1 F g .m M ED 3 a A Lm Sh AC G6 H L US. ABSTRACT; A gas lantern is provided with a spring-biased reflector or cover seated on the mantle so as to promote more 431/101, complete combustion so that the lantern will burn brighter and cleaner.

PATENIED nu: I 4I97I INVENTOR LESTER GILMAN A TTORNEYS GAS LANTERN DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a gas lantern, and more particularly, to a gas lantern having a removable mantle. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the mantle is a mesh screen member which is rendered incandescent when subjected to a flame.

The present invention overcomes problems encountered heretofore in connection with obtaining complete combustion of the air-gas mixture in the lantern. Paragraph 2.4 of the American Standards Association requirements for gas-fired illuminating appliances provide that no carbon monoxide may be produced. This requirement is deemed met when a concentration of carbon monoxide not in excess of 0.05 percent is produced in a 75-cubic-foot room with no air changes occurring during combustion of the amount of gas necessary to reduce the oxygen content of the room to a quantity equal to 15.1 percent by volume, corrected to 60 F. and 30 inches of mercury. V

In order to promote complete combustion and meet the above-mentioned requirements relating to the production of carbon monoxide, the present invention provides a springbiased reflector cover across the top of the manifold. The reflector or cover prevents unburned air-gas mixtures from escaping upwardly and maintains them within the mantle for complete burning, whereby the lantern burns brighter and cleaner. The lantern remains cleaner by preventing the unburned air-gas mixture from escaping upwardly along the surfaces of the mantle support.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas lantern which will burn an air-gas mixture brighter and cleaner and meet the standard requirements in connection with the minimum amount of carbon monoxide which can be produced during operation of the lantern.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a gas lantern wherein more complete combustion of an air-gas mixture is attained. 1

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a form which is presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the upper end of a post on which is supported a gas lantern in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the gas illumination means in the lantern of FIG. 1, but on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mantle and its support as shown in FIG. 2, but on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a gas lantern in accordance with the present invention designated generally as 10. The lantern includes a roof 12 of any desired configuration. A vent cap 14 is mounted on the roof l2 and spaced therefrom so as to provide an escape passage for hot air from within the housing of the lantern.

The housing of the lantern includes a cage having glass windows. The cage 16 may be hexagonal as shown or octagonal or any other configuration. The cage 16 is provided with a base 18 mounted on a post 20. The base 18 is preferably provided with axially directed vent holes so that air may enter into the housing and provide an airflow upwardly through the housing and out the vent space between the roof l2 and vent cap 14.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 2, a gas-and-air mixture supply conduit 24 is provided. Conduit 24 extends upwardly through the hollow post 20 or may be connected to a conduit within the post 20. Conduit 24 is provided with a vent opening 25 through which air may enter and mix with the gas.

The upper end of conduit 24 is threadedly engaged with a centrally disposed boss 28 on a mantle holder 26. Mantle holder 26 is provided with a manifold chamber 30. Mantle holder 26 is provided with a plurality of additional bosses,

namely bosses 32 and 36, each of which are internally threaded. An adapter 34 is threadedly coupled to boss 32. An adapter 38 is threadedly coupled to boss 36. Each adapter supports a mantle. Since the mantles supported by the adapters 34 and 36 are identical, only the mantle associated with adapter 34 will be described in detail.

The adapter 34 is threadedly coupled to the boss 32 and is supported thereby with its hollow interior communicating with the manifold chamber 30. The outer periphery of the adapter 34' is provided with a plurality of mantle supports 40, 42, and 44, I20 arcuate degrees apart. Each mantle support is a U-shaped support surface adapted to receive a leg on a mantle.

The mantle includes an annular body 46 to the lower end of which is attached a cup-shaped screen 48. The body 46 is provided with a plurality of legs connected to the upper end of the body and corresponding in number to the supports on the adapter 34. The mantle legs illustrated in FIG. 3 are identified by the numerals 50, 52, and 54. Each of the legs have radially disposed portions. The body 46 is telescoped over the adapter 34 with the legs between the supports. Then body 46 is rotated until each of the legs is disposed over one of the supports 40-44. Thereafter, the mantle body 46 is lowered until a portion of each of the legs is received within one of the supports and has the upper surface of the leg flush with the upper surface of the support. In this manner, the mantle is removably coupled to the adapter.

A reflector or cover 58 surrounds the adapter 34 above the elevation of the supports 40-44 for close sliding movement along the length of the adapter 34. The reflector 58 is provided with a peripheral depending flange 60 having slots 62 at spaced points therearound. The slots each receive one of the legs on the mantle and its corresponding support. A spring 64 extends between the boss 32 and the reflector 58 and biases the reflector 58 downwardly so as to overlie the upper surface of the mantle legs and the support. A spring 64 extends between the boss 32 and the reflector 58 and biases the reflector 58 downwardly so as to overlie the upper surface of the mantle legs and the supports for such legs. Reflector 58 prevent unburned air-gas mixtures from flowing upwardly along the adapter 34 and escaping into the lantern or the surrounding atmosphere.

The air-gas mixture is directed from the supply conduit 24 into the manifold chamber 30. Such mixture discharges downwardly through each of the adapters into the mesh screen mantles. The lanterns are designed to burn continuously, hence no on-off control valve is provided for conduit 24. If such a valve is desired, it may be provided.

The air-gas mixture within the mantles is lit and operates continuously as a pilot light.' The flame of the burning mixture renders the mesh screen mantles incandescent so as to provide a gas illumination means within the housing of the lantern. While only two such mantles are provided, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a greater or lesser number may be provided as desired. A gas lantern in accordance with the present invention as disclosed burns brighter and cleaner and comes within the scope of the standards described above as pertains to the permissible amount of carbon monoxide.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

lclaim:

l. A gas lantern comprising a housing having transparent portions therein and through which a gas illumination means is visible, said gas illumination means including a mantle holder, means supporting the mantle holder within the housing, at least one mantle removably supported by the holder in depending relationship therefrom, and a reflector means slideably supported by said supporting means above the mantle, said reflector means being biased downwardly into overlying contact with the mantle to prevent unburned air-gas mixtures from escaping upwardly out of the mantle whereby a more complete combustion .of air-gas mixture is obtained within the mantle.

2. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 1 wherein said mantle is supported from said mantle holder by an adapter, and said reflector means including an annular reflector overlying a portion of the mantle and having a depending flange surrounding the upper end of the mantle, said flange having slots, legs on the mantle extending through said slots.

3. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 2 including a spring surrounding the adapter, said spring contacting the mantle holder and the reflector to bias the reflector away from the mantle holder.

4. A gas lantern comprising a housing having transparent windows, a supply conduit for supplying a gas-air mixture, a mantle holder connected to the upper end of said conduit, said mantle holder having a manifold chamber, a plurality of mantles communicating with said chamber, each mantle communicating with said chamber by way of an adapter conduit which supports the mantle, a reflector surrounding each adapter and engaging an end surface on the mantle, a spring surrounding each adapter conduit and biasing each reflector into such contact with the mantle.

5. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 4 wherein said adapter conduits depend downwardly from said mantle holder, and said mantles being removably supported on their respective adapter conduits by'means of U-shaped supports receiving legs on the mantle.

6. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 4 wherein said reflectors each have a depending flange surrounding the upper end of their respective mantle, each of said flanges having slots, each mantle having a plurality of radially outwardly extending legs, each leg extending through a slot in said flange on its respective mantle.

i i I I l 

1. A gas lantern comprising a housing having transparent portions therein and through which a gas illumination means is visible, said gas illumination means including a mantle holder, means supporting the mantle holder within the housing, at least one mantle removably supported by the holder in depending relationship therefrom, and a reflector means slideably supported by said supporting means above the mantle, said reflector means being biased downwardly into overlying contact with the mantle to prevent unburned air-gas mixtures from escaping upwardly out of the mantle whereby a more complete combustion of air-gas mixture is obtained within the mantle.
 2. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 1 wherein said mantle is supported from said mantle holder by an adapter, and said reflector means including an annular reflector overlying a portion of the mantle and having a depending flange surrounding the upper end of the mantle, said flange having slots, legs on the mantle extending through said slots.
 3. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 2 including a spring surrounding the adapter, said spring contacting the mantle holder and the reflector to bias the reflector away from the mantle holder.
 4. A gas lantern comprising a housing having transparent windows, a supply conduit for supplying a gas-air mixture, a mantle holder connected to the upper end of said conduit, said mantle holder having a manifold chamber, a plurality of mantles communicating with said chamber, each mantle communicating with said chamber by way of an adapter conduit which supports the mantle, a reflector surrounding each adapter and engaging an end surface on the mantle, a spring surrounding each adapter conduit and biasing each reflector into such contact with the mantle.
 5. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 4 wherein said adapter conduits depend downwardly from said mantle holder, and said mantles being removably supported on their respective adapter conduits by means of U-shaped supports receiving legs on the mantle.
 6. A gas lantern in accordance with claim 4 wherein said reflectors each have a depending flange surrounding the upper end of their respective mantle, each of said flanges having slots, each mantle having a plurality of radially outwardly extending legs, each leg extending through a slot in said flange on its respective mantle. 